Transport Scotland Pandemic Flu Seminar
The Transport Scotland Pandemic Flu Seminar was held on 29 January 2009 and was attended by around 40 people from across Scotland representing all modes of transport. Presentations were delivered by Anne Armstrong on Planning for Emergencies - Transport Scotland's Role and by Anne Aitken from the Pandemic Flu Health Co-ordination team on the Scottish Framework for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic.
The presentations were followed by a workshop, in which, syndicate groups responded to a scenario and a number of questions which were designed to encourage participants to think about how effective their business continuity plans would be in the event of an outbreak of pandemic flu.
The aim of the seminar was to help participants better understand their role in preparing for and mitigating against the impacts of a pandemic flu outbreak, and in doing so, to identify, improve and take forward any actual or potential gaps in resilience.
The objectives of the seminar were:
· To examine and discuss the potential impacts on the Scottish transport sector of a pandemic flu outbreak.
· To examine and discuss the transport sector's capability to manage during a pandemic flu outbreak.
· To share knowledge and experience of business continuity planning within the Scottish transport sector, improving resilience to a pandemic flu outbreak.
· To identify and discuss further actions to improve preparedness and resilience to Pandemic flu in the Scottish transport sector.
The seminar was a useful means of highlighting the importance of planning for a pandemic flu outbreak to the transport sector, either within existing business continuity plans or indeed separately. It also raised awareness and stimulated discussion on the specific types of problems which would arise due to the long-term nature of an outbreak compared to other disruptions which could occur, impacting on the transport network.
It was apparent from the discussions on the day that many of the organisations present had already put a lot of work and thought into preparing for a pandemic flu outbreak, however, there was a general recognition that there is more to be done.